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Babies understand the connection between pictures and real objects by the time they are nine months old, a new study has found.

"Well before their first birthdays and their first words, babies are capable of learning about the real world indirectly from picture books, at least those that have very realistic images like photographs," researcher Jeanne Shinskey said in a press release.

Scientists at the University of London and the University of South Carolina had 30 eight-and nine-month-olds look at photos of a toy for about a minute. The babies were then placed in front of the toy from the picture and a different toy. The researchers watched to see which toy the babies reached for first.

The researchers say the findings demonstrate "experience with a picture of something can strengthen babies' ideas of an object so they can maintain it after the object disappears — so out of sight is not out of mind."